miter planes

The miter plane (or ‘mitre’ if you drink tea instead of coffee) has only recently begun to gain popularity in America. In both British and Continental woodworking, however, these planes have a long history, with infilled metal miters dating back well over 400 years. While there is much debate as to what their original purpose might have been, there are two points that are quite clear. First – that these planes were used for much more than just shooting end grain, which is the limited use we tend to ascribe to miter planes today. Second – that it was the infilled miter plane that served as the inspiration and direct descendant of the infill smoothers and panel planes that developed so fully in the British Isles of the 19th century.

Daed Toolworks miter planes are bevel-up designs, bedded at a standard angle of 20 degrees – low enough to allow for a range of effective pitches if the user so desires, but high enough that there are no clearance issues in even the springiest woods. Additionally, the 20 degree pitch minimizes wear bevel formation on the back of the iron — a phenomenon that does not fit well with some sharpening strategies. Plane irons are massive, and snecked at the end both for comfort (the blades make an excellent rear-hand grip) and to allow retraction of the blade with a suitable plane hammer.

The planes soles and sidewalls are carefully lapped perpendicular, making them ideal for shooting small-scale work such as veneer, marquetry, inlay and parquetry, kumiko, and small box-scale lumber. Beyond these purposes, though, the planes are also excellent in a wide range of smoothing applications. As bevel-up planes, the mitres benefit from an incredibly small mouth opening. Because of this, the plane’s beds extend much closer to the actual work, supporting the blade within 1/32″ of the cutting edge. This results in a supremely rigid blade, and these planes are remarkably effective, regardless of grain direction. Because the blades do not accept camber well, the planes are generally suited to smaller scale work, though with careful setup and skill they can be used very effectively for spot-smoothing on furniture-scale projects as well.